Bhubaneswar: A septuagenarian retired doctor couple was found murdered in the upmarket Sailashree Vihar locality of the state capital on Sunday and valuables were found missing from the house.
Dr Prafulla Kumar Mishra, an eye surgeon retired as Additional Secretary, Health, nearly 12 years ago, while his wife Dr Sushma Mishra, a pathologist, retired as Chief Medical Officer.
They were staying at VIM-608 in Sailashree Vihar, while their three sons stayed separately. Mishra's eldest son Priyadarshi lives in Singapore, while his second son Shubhadarshi, who had opened a software company in Infocity, stays in Patia. Their third son, Devadarshi, stays in another house in Sailashree Vihar.
Police are interrogating three housemaids, who used to work in shifts, while a dog squad and a forensic team were brought to the spot.
Dr Sushma Mishra was to celebrate her 70th birthday on Sunday. She used to spend much of her time in religious prayers. On Sunday early morning the couple had visited the Jagannath temple nearby and had returned home at around 6 am.
Police suspect that the assailants who were lying in wait for the couple, attacked them on their return. They tied the elderly man's legs and strangulated him, while they hit his wife on her head with a blunt object.
The killers then ransacked the cupboards and decamped with ornaments and cash, police said. People of the locality came to know about this double murder at around 8.30 am. Police have found a grainy CCTV footage showing four killers coming out of the house.
So far nobody has been arrested.
